My Friend?
by MrzKitty
Summary: Started as a drabble, now a completed multi-chapter. Takes place immediately following 2x08, and is the same scene told from different POVs.
1. Barry

A/N: This one has the potential to be a multi-chapter (same scene, different POVs), if it is desired. Just a quick drabble I wrote after watching the new episode. I want to do Barry justice, because I do like him, but Olicity is my ship. Does anyone else feel the writers sent mixed messages about this ship?!

Anyhow, standard disclaimers apply. Not beta'd, reviews welcome, thank you for the follows, favs and reviews on my other works, and none of the recognizable characters are mine. Enjoy!

* * *

"Can you please help my friend?" That was what the beautiful blonde he had really hoped to get to know had begged of him.

That was earlier. Felicity had promised she didn't like Oliver (Barry was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that _Oliver Queen_ was the Vigilante!) like that, but he was starting to wonder if perhaps she was in denial. The driver, Diggle (who, looking back to before he knew for sure, should have been clear was not just a driver), was worried, yes. But Felicity...she took worrying to a whole new level. And he didn't miss the hurt that briefly flashed over her face at that moment when Oliver passed from being unconscious to sleeping and he'd called for someone named "Shado." Barry recognized the tone he used, it was a cry of warning, but having never heard one with that degree of desperation, Felicity didn't.

And now she was pacing, rapidly. When she wasn't pacing, she was typing furiously on her computer, tracking down anything she could on the compounds of the drug, who was supplying it, who would want it released. He recognized what Felicity was doing, because he'd done it over and over again every time his dad lost an appeal. And sometimes, Barry thought ruefully, even and especially in between appeals.

Diggle silently kept watch over Oliver, and Barry assumed he wasn't paying attention to him until he went to try to calm Felicity.

"Wouldn't recommend it, Allen." Diggle's deep voice cut into Barry's thoughts.

"What?"

"If you disturb her right now, she will make you regret it." Barry let out a wry chuckle as he looked over to Felicity but heeded the older man's advice.

"Just friends, huh?" At that, Diggle let out a chuckle himself. Barry had a lot of questions, and that was not the one he'd intended on asking first. It is, however, the one that came out, so he went with it. He'd get to the why, how long, who knows, and could Oliver help hims later.

"That's what they say." Barry and Diggle shared a smile, knowing that there was no way those two were not 'just friends.' No one runs a background check on law enforcement for a 'friend.' Even if out it did turn out he was stretching the truth. A lot. And yes, Oliver had a big secret to hide. There was still no reason for Oliver to do a background check.

"Does he know how lucky he is?" Barry had met Felicity only briefly, but even he could tell she was special. He felt a quick twinge of loss; in different circumstances ones in which Oliver Queen didn't exist- that spark he felt with Felicity could have really turned into something amazing.

"Not yet. Neither one of them are ready, really."

"I can-"

"Felicity?" Oliver groaned weakly. In a flash of blonde, she was at his side, standing not uncomfortably close to Barry. She ran her hands all over him, making sure he was really awake now and there were no injuries she'd miraculously missed. Diggle smiled, noticing as Barry did that she was his first waking thought.

"What the hell was that, Oliver? You told me you had this, you'd beaten guys like that before!" Oliver groaned again.

"Could you please...save the yelling for...when I don't feel like I'm dying?"

"Oh, you'd better..."

"Mr. Queen? You got hit with some pretty nasty stuff," Barry started to interject, hoping to stop the tirade against the very injured Oliver. Felicity turned her glare to him, and he could see Oliver trying to place his voice, and knew it clicked when Oliver's jaw tensed.

"Felicity, what is he doing here?" Oliver ground out, glowering at Barry. "Diggle, you allowed this?"

"Oh no you don't, Oliver, I am not your underling in this. Barry had the scientific knowledge to save you, and he wouldn't blow your cover like _calling 911_ would have-" she glared at Diggle as she said that. Diggle held up his hands in mock surrender, and Barry could only watch in amazement as Felicity continued her tirade, sounding very much like a significant other who was worried about her loved one but was angry she had to be.

"Just friends, huh?" Barry said again dryly.

"Yeah. Just friends," Diggle responded with no small hint of sarcasm.

"Right." Barry shook his head in disbelief. He missed his train out of an unfamiliar city. He was most likely out of a job. He lost out on a chance with an amazing woman to the playboy vigilante he considered a hero.

Life was somewhat looking up though, Barry thought. Maybe Oliver had a spot on his team for a forensics guy. At least then he'd have front row tickets to the show that was Oliver and Felicity, not to mention the good that could come out of proving his dad wasn't a killer. It could be fun. Yeah. Fun.


	2. Diggle

A/N: Oh my God you all have been so fantastic! I was blown away by the reviews, favs and follows, thank you! As requested, here is the next chapter. Felicity is next, but she may take me a little longer to write. My goal is to have all four parts up before next Wednesday; however, between the 2.5 kids, husband, 2 jobs and the holidays, I beg forgiveness now if it takes a little longer than that.

To address all the positive reviews, thank you so much. I'm always a little nervous to post. I do happen to believe Diggle is fairly all knowing; hopefully this chapter fleshes that out a bit more. To the guest reviewer who requested no Barry/Felicity; while I can appreciate the fans of that particular ship, it's not mine. I have felt that since Felicity appeared on the show, her and Oliver have had far more chemistry than Oliver and anyone else. Olicity is a ship I will go down with; I just hope they don't kick us Olicity fans in the teeth like the writers of NCIS did with Tiva. I'm truly a sucker for happy endings, and that was not.

Last but not least before my disclaimer-some parts will look exactly the same. It was done both the help me remember what I wrote (I do this all on my phone, hence sometimes the weird fonts, spellings and formatting) and with the continuity of the story.

My standard disclaimer (not my characters, reviews welcome, not beta'd) still applies. Enjoy my fellow fans!

* * *

"Can you please help my friend?" That is what the petite blonde he'd come to think of as not just a friend, but as a little sister, asked the unknown that was Barry Allen.

Diggle had watched an array of emotions and questions cross Allen's face before he noticed a familiar look: determination. He stifled a smile. He could see why Felicity found Barry to be a kindred spirit.

Once Barry's agreement and promise to secrecy was secured, Barry got to work, and Diggle split his attention amongst the two other conscious people in the room.

Barry worked on the analysis and subsequent antidote, with Felicity helping any way she could. Diggle noticed an ever so slight cooling in Barry's actions towards Felicity, which confused him. It didn't make sense considering the way he'd been looking at her the rest of the day. Felicity, however, didn't seem to notice- she was in full on controlled panic mode. She was panicked, but maintaining enough composure to be productive.

Once the antidote was administered, all that was left to do was wait. Oliver finally seemed out of the woods sometime later, as he'd had a nightmare about his time on the island. He never recalled Oliver explaining fully who Shado was, but obviously she'd meant something to Oliver judging by the desperate tone to the warning that was her name.

Felicity had been alternating between pacing and abusing her poor keyboard for a while when he noticed Barry getting ready to go over to her. Should he interfere? Aw hell, better be nice to the kid. He did (most likely anyhow) just save Oliver's life without alerting the authorities. Yet. Which is why it didn't mean Diggle trusted him, but he _would_ warn him.

"Wouldn't recommend it, Allen." Diggle called to Barry.

"What?" Came the startled reply.

"If you disturb her right now, she will make you regret it." Barry let out a wry chuckle as he looked over to Felicity but heeded the older man's advice. Diggle stored that tidbit away, it was a small indicator Barry could be _teachable_, and that could become critical.

"Just friends, huh?" At that, Diggle let out a chuckle himself. Yes, Barry was definitely smart. And his coolness made sense now; Diggle had long known that Oliver and Felicity were on a slow motion crash course to each other. For an outsider to pick up on it so quickly and accurately was vindicating, in a sense.

"That's what they say." Barry and Diggle shared a smile, knowing that there was no way those two were 'just friends.' No one runs a background check on law enforcement for a 'friend.' Even if out it did turn out Barry was outright lying. There was still no reason for Oliver to do a background check. The three of them knew that, and Diggle had been amused by both the alarm and jealousy on Oliver's face as he'd watched the by-play between Barry and Felicity. Oliver had been like a dog with a bone, and he was quite sure Oliver had no honest clue why.

"Does he know how lucky he is?" Barry had met Felicity only briefly, and Diggle reluctantly admired Barry's observational skills. Which would explain why he gave the most honest answer he could.

"Not yet. Neither one of them are ready, really."

"I can-"

"Felicity?" Oliver groaned weakly. In a flash of blonde, she was at his side, standing practically on top of Barry. He didn't seem to mind. Interesting.

Felicity ran her hands all over Oliver, making sure he was really awake now and there were no injuries she'd somehow missed. Diggle smiled, noticing that _she_ was his first waking thought. It wasn't the first time he'd called out for her, Diggle knew. Wouldn't be the last, but he kept those pieces of knowledge to himself. He was being truthful when he said neither of them were ready yet.

"What the hell was that, Oliver? You told me you had this, you'd beaten guys like that before!" Oliver groaned again as Felicity started to unleash the anger that was the result of her worry.

"Could you please...save the yelling for...when I don't feel like I'm dying?"

"Oh, you'd better..."

"Mr. Queen? You got hit with some pretty nasty stuff," Barry started to interject, hoping to stop the tirade against the very injured Oliver. Diggle had to bite back another smile as Felicity turned her glare to Barry and stopped him in his tracks. Diggle watched as Oliver processed the voice, then the figures, around him and braced for the impact he knew was coming.

"Felicity, what is he doing here?" Oliver ground out. "Diggle, you allowed this?" Diggle opened his mouth to defend himself, but was cut off by one very angry Felicity.

"Oh no you don't, Oliver, I am not your underling in this. Barry had the scientific knowledge to save you, and he wouldn't blow your cover like _calling 911_ would have-" she glared at Diggle as she said that. Diggle held up his hands in mock surrender, conceding silently to her that yes, her plan worked. Felicity acknowledged his action with a barely perceptible nod before continuing her tirade. He wondered if she even realized she sounded very much like a wife angry with her husband for taking unnecessary risks and making her worry. Probably not, Diggle thought. Her filter was minimal when she was at her best, and that was definitely not the case here. "Ferocity" might be a better name, Digg thought with a snicker.

"Just friends, huh?" Barry said again dryly.

"Yeah. Just friends," Diggle responded with no small hint of sarcasm.

"Right." Diggle looked at Barry again, and started calculating dates. One for how long it would be before Barry was offered a place on their little team...

...and _re-_calculating the one for how long it would take the two bickering fools they were observing to realize what was happening between them.


	3. Felicity

A/N: I really need to stop writing at 2 am. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but this is what she gave me. To the guest reviewer who pointed out that Felicity calmly and competently helped Oliver, that was an egregious error on my part. You are correct; my thought process was more that she had feelings for Oliver now that changed her and her ability to focus when it comes to him, but as that was not clear, the error has been corrected.

Thank you for all the continued support. Suggestions/reviews are always welcome.

Here's Felicity.

Disclaimer: not mine, not beta'd, blah blah blah.

* * *

_Can you please help my friend?_ Felicity recalled well practically begging Barry to help Oliver. She'd watched as the questions and decisions flashed across his face before he'd finally agreed to not only help Oliver but keep his secret as well.

Felicity allowed herself a moment to reflect on Barry, more to get her mind off worrying about Oliver before she went insane. She was working side by side with him on this, and she enjoyed his company. They got along well; he could be her twin on so many levels. Perhaps that's why earlier she was curious about how they would fit romantically speaking. Then he went to leave, and she accepted that. It wasn't a burning curiosity to see where it went, and she certainly was not going to track him down like she had Oliver.

That had been a while ago. The antidote had been found and administered; now it was a waiting game. She thought she was doing ok. Sure, she was pacing, and hacking every system she could think of. Felicity told herself she was simply trying to figure out what and who the hell they were dealing with, and try to figure out what the end game was before more people less capable than Oliver got hurt. She was getting more and more frustrated the less she found. She did _not_ want time to think about the man laying so still on the table.

She attacked the lack of information with renewed vigor when Oliver cried out for Shado. She was angry at him, and hearing _yet another_ woman's name did not help. Yes, she was well aware of her ridiculous crush on Oliver. She had accepted that it would never happen, guys like that did not fall for girls like her. He clearly preferred the leggy, brunette, model type. Ok fine. But then he fed her a cop-out line about not wanting to get involved with someone he could care about (please, like if Laurel said jump, he wouldn't say how high?), then he killed the Count for her. Told her there was not a choice to be made. She still felt guilty for that, and hoped that if Tommy was watching he forgave Oliver for that one. He was being a coward, but she for once didn't call him on it. She told him instead he deserved better. For all his faults, Felicity knew Oliver deserved better than the likes of Isabel Rochev.

Which is why it angered her so much when he attacked Barry. Barry, who clearly wasn't going to stay. Barry, who yes lied, but for reasons that were no less valid than theirs. Barry, who was cute, smart and awkward like her. There was no logical reason for Oliver to go all alpha male on him, when he had so politely friend zoned her permanently just several weeks ago.

Felicity knew she'd lied when she told Barry she didn't like Oliver like that. But she was not going to allow some ridiculous, obviously unrequited, minor crush to keep her from living her life and trying to be happy. Oliver so often got the best of her- her skills, her loyalty, her time. She believed in Oliver and his cause, but Felicity knew she deserved happiness too. She was just too busy to go out and look for it. Then Barry all but fell from the sky in front of her, but once again, Oliver managed to consume her.

She pushed all of that away though, trying to focus on information. She heard Barry and John talking, but couldn't hear specifics. Dammit, how long was this antidote going to take? Her brain could only overrule the rest of her for so long before the worry undermined her best. And as angry as she was with Oliver, right now she just wanted him to _wake up._

"Felicity?" She heard Oliver groan. She chose not to examine why she could hear Oliver but not the other two men in the room, tucked that away along with how she was able to all but fly to his side when he called for her.

He was awake now.

And that's when Felicity got angry. How dare he put them through all that worry? She'd _warned_ him, and he blew her off. In fact, he hadn't even been willing at first to tell them what they were possibly dealing with! After all they had been through together in the last two years, that was a bit ridiculous. He didn't even have to admit the personal stuff, but the fact that he'd seen this kind of thing before was crucial information.

"What the hell was that, Oliver? You told me you had this, you'd beaten guys like that before!" Oliver groaned again. He looked at her, and she got the feeling that right now she was the only thing he was seeing. She began touching him all over. Felicity told herself she just looking for any injuries she may have missed. The real reason got locked away in that file of 'refuse to think about,' along with a lot of other things from tonight.

"Could you please...save the yelling for...when I don't feel like I'm dying?"

_Really?_ Felicity thought. Yes, she felt bad that he was in pain and almost died, but if he had *_listened to her,_* he probably wouldn't be in this bad of shape. She never let him off the hook in the past, she wasn't about to start now.

"Oh, you'd better..."

"Mr. Queen? You got hit with some pretty nasty stuff," Barry started to interject, hoping to stop the tirade against the very injured Oliver. Felicity turned her glare to Barry and stopped him in his tracks. He may be cute, but this was between her and Oliver, and she was not about to let the guys gang up on her in some weird boys club thing.

So focused on Barry was Felicity that she didn't notice Oliver had realized Barry was there. And he was _not_ happy about it.

"Felicity, what is he doing here?" Oliver ground out. "Diggle, you allowed this?" Felicity felt her anger spike again. Was Oliver really going to go down this road?

"Oh no you don't, Oliver, I am not your underling in this. Barry had the scientific knowledge to save you, and he wouldn't blow your cover like _calling 911_ would have-" she glared at Diggle as she said that. Diggle held up his hands in mock surrender, conceding silently to her that yes, her plan worked. Felicity acknowledged his action with a barely perceptible nod before continuing. Or trying to.

"Felicity-"

"No, Oliver. I told you to be careful. I know you have the experience, but let's be honest. That was 5 years ago, and clearly someone has that formula and has altered it. Yes, you have the hero thing going for you, complete with strength, speed, agility and all that jazz. _But there's a reason you have a team in me and John._ "

"Felicity-"

"I'm not done. Barry already knows there are things he can't explain, and clearly is willing to lie to protect his secrets. That's no different than what we do, and you know it. He had some knowledge of what we're dealing with, and oh yeah, _he saved your damn life._ So, how about you trust me, because without me, right now you'd be in a hospital with your secret exposed, all the law enforcement in Starling City waiting for you to wake up so they can arrest you, me _and_ John. Then everything _we've_ worked for becomes undone!" Oliver looked at her, waited for her pause and then calmly asked,

"Are you finished now?"

"No. I'm mad at you for making me worry. You've been out for hours, and I don't like not knowing..."

"I'm sorry I worried you, but-"

"Don't you dare tell me I have no reason to now." Oliver just looked at her.

"Barry clearly knows what he is doing. Thank you for protecting me and my secret as best you knew how. I do trust you, so I am going to have to trust your judgment on him. Let's see what we can learn so we don't make the same mistakes again, ok?" Felicity looked warily at Oliver. He agreed far too easily, but exhaustion was settling in, and they still had a long night ahead of them.

"Be nice to Barry." Oliver glared at her. She wasn't intimidated and glared right back.

"Alright, I'll be nice."

"Thank you. Now, let's get started." Felicity called the other two men over to do just that, not realizing she'd never stopped touching Oliver. She only noticed when he went to go test the extent of his 'recovery.'

"So, Allen, tell me what you found..." Oliver started with, and Felicity sighed.

It was going to be a long night.


	4. Oliver

A/N: Here's the last one. I tried to wait to post this to decide if I was really happy with it. TPTB have apparently decided to make Olicity a slow burn, with the changes becoming apparent this season. Hopefully I did these characters justice, but I do love hearing from you all to let me know.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: not mine, not beta'd, please review at most, enjoy at least. :-)

* * *

His last thought before he lost consciousness was that she was going to be furious. She'd warned him, after all. But he didn't listen...

He was dreaming now. He saw Shado running, but he could never catch up. He cried her name, knowing that what was waiting was her death. There had been too much of that, no more. He finally caught up, but when he reached the body of Shado, it wasn't her at all. It was Felicity, and she had twin injections on her neck from where he hadn't stopped the Count. This time all the breath from his body was gone, rendering his scream silent.

He woke to male voices, but his first thought was the blonde who made all aspects of his life easier but he had almost lost. He needed to make sure she was ok. He felt no guilt over killing the Count, he'd tried to reason with him but he was going to kill Felicity. His anger (fear, if he chose to be honest with himself. And usually, he didn't) at the thought that someone wanted to extinguish the light that was her is what caused him to loose those three arrows. There was no circumstance, Oliver was finding out, in which it would ever be acceptable for her to not be everything she was now.

"Felicity?" He called. Was that his voice? It sounded so weak! She was at his side in a second, running her hands all over him. He presumed it was to check for more injuries, but he was still struck by the intimacy of it. He doesn't recall when Felicity started taking over all the patching up of his wounds, but he certainly preferred her to Diggle. There was no gentleness to Diggle. He looked at her, seeing only her. She was ok. Worried, and was that-

"What the hell was that, Oliver? You told me you had this, you'd beaten guys like that before!"

Yeah, it was. Oliver groaned. While he was thankful for her worry (he's sure he wouldn't be alive without it), he'd known she was going to be furious. He ignored the part of himself that said 'with cause', but he'd really hoped to recover a bit before she spoke her mind.

"Could you please...save the yelling for...when I don't feel like I'm dying?"

He knew, as soon as he said it, it was the wrong thing to say. _Way to go, Queen,_ he thought as she narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Oh, you'd better..."

"Mr. Queen? You got hit with some pretty nasty stuff," came a voice from next to Felicity. He remembered then what woke him, and when the fuzziness in his mind cleared and he realized who the voice belonged to, he got irritated. This guy. Why the hell was _he_ here? _And why the hell was he standing so close to Felicity?_ Did he really have to be here? One thing his recovery did _not_ need was Felicity making eyes at that little kid, and he _definitely_ didn't need him making eyes back. Oliver missed her glare at Barry in his irritation.

"Felicity, what is he doing here?" Oliver ground out. "Diggle, you allowed this?" He felt a moment of betrayal. He thought these two would have his back, not bring some little pipsqueak in.

"Oh no you don't, Oliver, I am not your underling in this. Barry had the scientific knowledge to save you, and he wouldn't blow your cover like _calling 911_ would have-" Felicity glared at Diggle as she said that. Diggle held up his hands in mock surrender, conceding silently to her that yes, her plan worked. Felicity acknowledged his action with a barely perceptible nod before trying to continue. Oliver caught the by-play, and correctly inferred what happened there. Which left him needing to get ahead of Felicity's anger. She'd let him have it before, it was rarely a slow process, and he needed to figure out what was going on.

"Felicity-" He tried to cut in.

"No, Oliver. I told you to be careful. I know you have the experience, but let's be honest. That was 5 years ago, and clearly someone has that formula and has altered it. Yes, you have the hero thing going for you, complete with strength, speed, agility and all that jazz. _But there's a reason you have a team in me and John._"

"Felicity-" He hated when she called him a hero. He wasn't. _Murderer,_ Tommy's voice rang in his head. He shook it off, a little surprised to hear it. He hadn't, in a while. Actually, not since he'd been trying this new way, even though he killed the Count. Damn drugs, whatever they'd been.

"I'm not done. Barry already knows there are things he can't explain, and clearly is willing to lie to protect his secrets. That's no different than what we do, and you know it. He had some knowledge of what we're dealing with, and oh yeah, _he saved your damn life._ So, how about you trust me, because without me, right now you'd be in a hospital with your secret exposed, all the law enforcement in Starling City waiting for you to wake up so they can arrest you, me _and_ John. Then everything _we've_ worked for becomes undone!"

Oliver watched her as she ripped into him. She could be magnificent in her anger. He wondered idly if he was the only one she reserved her passion (anger, Oliver, anger. You shouldn't be thinking that way) for. Her words sank in, and he realized that, as she often was for all her awkwardness, she was right. Felicity had been trying to _keep_ his secret, not betray it. He just didn't care for who she had to turn to for that. It was becoming apparent Barry did have the knowledge they needed, and loathe as he was to have him around right now, he had to trust that Felicity made the same judgment call he'd had to make about her. He waited for to catch her breath (don't look at that peekaboo neckline Oliver, bad), and asked calmer than he felt,

"Are you finished now?"

"No. I'm mad at you for making me worry. You've been out for hours." Hours? Damn, that was too much time...

"I'm sorry I worried you, but-"

"Don't you dare tell me I have no reason to now." Oliver just looked at her. They both knew she did. She was one of two who truly understood how much. They had to fix the situation with the formula, but more important at this moment was fixing things with Felicity. He couldn't lose her, she was too important to him. He only ever would admit to himself that he needed her. As a friend, his assistant, and team member for their secret life of course (yeah Oliver, tell yourself that's all...).

He really needed to get moving and back to 100%. Those little random thoughts he'd always ignored were getting harder to ignore, and he blamed that on his damnable weakened state.

"Barry obviously knows what he is doing. Thank you for protecting me and my secret as best you knew how. I do trust you, so I am going to have to trust your judgment on him. Let's see what we can learn so we don't make the same mistakes again, ok?" Felicity looked warily at Oliver. He knew she thought he agreed far too easily, but time was against them, and they still had a lot to do if they wanted to stop what was coming before it got too far.

"Be nice to Barry." Oliver glared at her. Now _that_ was asking a little much. The kid annoyed him, even if he had a sad back story. He really, really didn't care for those flirty looks between _his_ girl Friday and that child. Felicity wasn't intimidated (she never was) and glared right back.

"Alright, I'll be nice," he reluctantly conceded. Only for her.

"Thank you. Now, let's get started."

"Yes, let's," Oliver murmured as Felicity called to the other two men. He went to test his limbs, startled a little to see that Felicity had been touching him during their whole discussion. And speaking of touching, all bets were off if Allen tried to touch Felicity. His protective instincts were in overdrive recently when it came to Felicity, and a relative unknown attempting to touch her...well, Oliver wouldn't be responsible for his actions. But since Felicity was calmer now, he wasn't going to stir that argument up right now.

"So, Allen, tell me what you found..." Oliver started with. He'd get to that little rule with the kid later. Right now, he- they- needed to focus on the formula. Felicity sighed beside him.

It was indeed going to be a long night.


End file.
